Gerard Neugebauer provided Village Council with an update Thursday on the Panhandle Passage Trail project.

Neugebauer, from Environmental Design Group in Green, is the engineering projects manager for the 1.1-mile trail project. The route would begin at the former City Auto dealership on E. Fourth Street in Uhrichsville, go through Dennison and end at the Uhrichsville Water Park. It will be handicap-accessible.

“This is going to be a dynamic project, with significant benefits,” he said. “It’s going to provide a very easy passage between the two communities. It’s part of many considerations for enhancements to the overall community.”

Currently, people on one side of Little Stillwater Creek must go about one mile on streets to access the other side. Plans call for building a 60-foot pedestrian bridge across the creek at McCluskey Park in Dennison.

The new 10-foot wide paved path would make use of streets on the route when possible. Rail fencing will be erected in three places to protect people and the creek’s embankment. Neugebauer said the path in Uhrichsville has been switched onto North Street and shifted within Gorley Street Park to avoid going through the middle of the park.

Councilwoman Patty Johnson asked if the width is sufficient, and Neugebauer replied that many trails are 6 or 7 feet wide.

Dennison Council Finance Committee Chairman Greg DiDonato stressed that efforts are being made to keep the costs of the estimated $600,000 project as low as possible to Dennison and Uhrichsville. Also, payments will be made in phases.

Dennison received a $410,000 grant through the Ohio Department of Transportation and a federal trail program that is for the path in both communities. Dennison and Uhrichsville are responsible for paying about $83,000 for the environmental review and engineering.

A report will be submitted to ODOT in August. ODOT will review it and handle the bidding process in December for contractors. Construction is to begin in March 2013.

The communities will be responsible for paying about another $100,000 — 20 percent of construction costs — with the rest of the project’s costs covered by grants, DiDonato said. A $100,000 grant application has been submitted. Fundraising efforts have collected $55,000, and discussions are ongoing with potential donors.

In other business, DiDonato reported that numbers aren’t finalized, but there will be slightly more than $1 million in the village’s total operating budget. That’s down about $40,000 from a year ago.

“There isn’t much money available, outside of basic operating expenses,” he said. “Some people are confused about spending money for the trail, and why it isn’t being used elsewhere. The goal is that the trail will not cost much locally after we get grants and donations. The grant money and donations for the trail can only be used for it.”

This year, as capital improvements, the village will lease-purchase a police cruiser by allocating $8,000 per year for three years. There will be a one-time expense of about $5,000 to buy equipment, along with converting equipment from a current cruiser. The last cruiser purchase was in 2009.

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The village is considering a plan to lease-purchase a new backhoe for the street department, with a cap of $80,000. The village’s backhoe is more than 20 years old and must be replaced.